The weight loss craze today has many food companies scrambling to make their products low fat, low cholesterol, and especially low in sugar. Artificial sweeteners are used in order to substitute for the real sugar in order to keep the products tasting sweet but have low to no sugar content, which in turn keeps the calories down. The three most popular sugar substitutes used by companies today are saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame. Research has shown that if these substitutes are consumed in heavy quantities, over time it may pose risks to your health. Heavy use of the artificial sweetener is defined as “two or more 8-ounce servings of a diet drink per day or six or more servings of packets of sugar substitutes per day.”
Aspartame, known as Nutrasweet or Equal, is found in many products including diet soft drinks, coffee drinks, frozen yogurt, and other “sugar free,” products. It is the most popular and most dangerous of the three. Aspartame may actually increase your appetite, according to research. The FDA no longer allows diet supplement drinks and foods containing aspartame to be labeled as weight reduction product. Many side effects have also been reported by consumers of aspartame products ranging from headaches and migraines to more serious but rare effects of brain tumors and brain cancer. In fact, 75% of allergic reactions to food reported to the FDA can be attributed to aspartame.
Saccharin, the oldest artificial sweetener, is found most commonly in “Sweet ‘n Low.” The FDA previously required products containing saccharin the warning label: “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.” Research has shown that this sweetener may give rise to bladder cancer.
Finally, sucralose commonly sold under the name, “Splenda,” is the new artificial sweetener on the market today. Sucralose contains no calories and is nearly 600 times sweeter than sucrose. Although research in the United States has shown this to be the safest of the artificial sweeteners, many countries in Europe have not approved its use and are still researching it towards approval. Research has shown consumption of large amounts of sucralose to cause such side effects as enlarged liver and kidneys, diarrhea, and decreased red blood cell count.
Don’t be scared by all the side effects and warnings I stated above. The research on artificial sweeteners seems to be a little fuzzy and after researching it on the web there are actually as many people supporting them as there are those stating that they are a health risk. It seems to me that this yet another example of keeping things in moderation. Consuming large amounts of these artificial sweeteners each day may pose a health risk but if you can consume normal amounts, the health risks are rare.